Alert archive / Nebraska / Tornado Watches in 2003

Tornado Watch 574

June 23, 2003Plymouth County, Iowa; 32 counties in Nebraska; Union County, South Dakota

The Storm Prediction Center issued this tornado watch at Jun 23, 2003, 10:50 PM CDT for Plymouth County, Iowa; 32 counties in Nebraska; Union County, South Dakota. It was in force for 5 hr.

The area

The outline as issued.

The facts

Issued
Jun 23, 2003, 10:50 PM CDT (03:50 UTC)
Expired
Jun 24, 2003, 4:00 AM CDT
In force
5 hr
Issued by
the Storm Prediction Center
All 34 counties

Plymouth County, IA, Adams County, NE, Antelope County, NE, Boone County, NE, Buffalo County, NE, Butler County, NE, Cedar County, NE, Clay County, NE, Colfax County, NE, Cuming County, NE, Dakota County, NE, Dixon County, NE, Fillmore County, NE, Greeley County, NE, Hall County, NE, Hamilton County, NE, Howard County, NE, Kearney County, NE, Knox County, NE, Madison County, NE, Merrick County, NE, Nance County, NE, Phelps County, NE, Pierce County, NE, Platte County, NE, Polk County, NE, Sherman County, NE, Stanton County, NE, Thurston County, NE, Valley County, NE, Wayne County, NE, Wheeler County, NE, York County, NE, Union County, SD

The radar

The Grand Island radar (KUEX), 115 km from the middle of the area, began a volume at 03:50 UTC, the scan nearest the moment this went out.

Open the radar archive at this moment

The archived warnings, watches and discussions in force at that minute are drawn over the scan, this one among them.

Warnings issued inside it

12 tornado, severe thunderstorm and flash flood warnings for its counties while it was in force.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 23, 11:00 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDDixon30 min
Jun 23, 11:04 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXWayne26 min
Jun 23, 11:12 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDPlymouth48 min
Jun 23, 11:13 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningFSDDixon2 hr
Jun 23, 11:22 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXKnox38 min
Jun 23, 11:32 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDDakota28 min
Jun 23, 11:32 PM CDTFlash Flood WarningOAXKnox6 hr
Jun 24, 12:00 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningOAXKnox60 min
Jun 24, 12:04 AM CDTTornado WarningOAXCedar41 min
Jun 24, 12:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDPlymouth25 min
Jun 24, 12:05 AM CDTFlash Flood WarningOAXCedar6 hr
Jun 24, 12:45 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WarningFSDDixon30 min

Discussions around it

SPC mesoscale discussions over the same counties from four hours before the watch to its end.

The nearest sounding before it

N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE (KLBF), launched 00:00Z, 3.8 hours before the alert went out and 194 km from the middle of its area. This is the routine balloon launch nearest before it, the air the forecaster had in hand, not a measurement taken for the alert.

Skew-T log-pSkew-T log-p diagram, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2003-06-24Temperature and dew point through the depth of the atmosphere, with the mixed-layer parcel. CAPE 4886 joules per kilogram.LCLLFCEL10008507005003002001001 km2 km3 km6 km9 km12 km15 km-30°-20°-10°0°10°20°30°40°
Temperature in red, dew point in green, the mixed-layer parcel dashed.
HodographHodograph, N. Platte/Lee Bi, NE at 00:00Z on 2003-06-24The wind through the lowest 10 kilometers. Zero to 1 km storm-relative helicity 149 square meters per square second.19395878Sfc1 km3 km6 km9 kmRMLM
The wind turning with height, colored by layer: ground to 1 km, 1 to 3 km, 3 to 6 km, 6 to 10 km.
Mixed-layer CAPE
4886 J/kg
Mixed-layer CIN
-21 J/kg
Mixed-layer LCL
1084 m above ground
0-6 km bulk shear
59 kt
0-1 km storm-relative helicity
149 m²/s²
0-3 km storm-relative helicity
351 m²/s²
Significant tornado parameter
7.9
Supercell composite
32.1

Open this sounding in Storm Lab

The text

As transmitted, in the capitals the NWS used until 2016.

000 
WWUS20 KWNS 240351
SEL4  
SPC WW 240350
IAZ000-NEZ000-240900-

URGENT - IMMEDIATE BROADCAST REQUESTED
TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 574 
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK 
1050 PM CDT MON JUN 23 2003

THE NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER HAS ISSUED A
TORNADO WATCH FOR PORTIONS OF 

       NORTHWEST IOWA
       CENTRAL AND NORTHEAST NEBRASKA

EFFECTIVE THIS MONDAY NIGHT AND TUESDAY MORNING FROM 1050 PM UNTIL
400 AM CDT.

TORNADOES...HAIL TO 3 INCHES IN DIAMETER...THUNDERSTORM WIND GUSTS
TO 70 MPH...AND DANGEROUS LIGHTNING ARE POSSIBLE IN THESE AREAS.

THE TORNADO WATCH AREA IS ALONG AND 60 STATUTE MILES EAST AND WEST
OF A LINE FROM 45 MILES NORTHWEST OF SIOUX CITY IOWA TO 25 MILES
SOUTHWEST OF HASTINGS NEBRASKA.

REMEMBER...A TORNADO WATCH MEANS CONDITIONS ARE FAVORABLE FOR
TORNADOES AND SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS IN AND CLOSE TO THE WATCH AREA.
PERSONS IN THESE AREAS SHOULD BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THREATENING
WEATHER CONDITIONS AND LISTEN FOR LATER STATEMENTS AND POSSIBLE
WARNINGS.

OTHER WATCH INFORMATION...THIS TORNADO WATCH REPLACES TORNADO
WATCH NUMBER 568...TORNADO WATCH NUMBER 571. WATCH NUMBER 568 571
WILL NOT BE IN EFFECT AFTER 1050 PM CDT. CONTINUE...WW 572...WW
573...


DISCUSSION...ORGANIZED LINE OF SUPERCELLS WILL CONTINUE EWD...AND
MAY EVOLVE INTO A BOW ECHO/SUPERCELL COMPLEX AS IT TRACKS INTO NERN
NE/NWRN IA OVER THE NEXT FEW HOURS.  OTHER SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS
INCLUDING ISOLATED SUPERCELLS WILL SHIFT NNEWD INTO CENTRAL NEB. 
ENTIRE REGION WILL REMAIN WITHIN NOSE OF BROAD 50-60 KT SLY LLJ
THROUGH MUCH OF THE NIGHT.  VERY UNSTABLE AIR MASS AND STRONG SHEAR
REMAIN SUPPORTIVE OF A THREAT OF TORNADOES... ALONG WITH VERY LARGE
HAIL AND DAMAGING WINDS.

AVIATION...TORNADOES AND A FEW SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH HAIL
SURFACE AND ALOFT TO 3 INCHES. EXTREME TURBULENCE AND SURFACE WIND
GUSTS TO 60 KNOTS. A FEW CUMULONIMBI WITH MAXIMUM TOPS TO 600.
MEAN STORM MOTION VECTOR 24020.


...EVANS

425,0954 402,0973 402,0995 425,0981

SPC that day

Everything else SPC issued on the same UTC day.

IssuedProductOfficeCountiesLasted
Jun 23, 8:08 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Adams, Audubon, Boone, Calhoun, Carroll and 28 more67 min
Jun 23, 8:55 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAudubon, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Cass, Cerro Gordo and 24 more4 hr
Jun 23, 9:10 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCherokee, Dickinson, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Sioux65 min
Jun 23, 10:38 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBuena Vista, Calhoun, Cherokee, Clay, Humboldt, Ida and 9 more67 min
Jun 23, 11:45 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCLyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Sioux6 hr
Jun 24, 12:35 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBoone, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee and 24 more5 hr
Jun 24, 1:52 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCPlymouth53 min
Jun 24, 2:05 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdair, Adams, Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Boone and 39 more5 hr
Jun 24, 2:44 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLyon, Osceola, Sioux2 hr
Jun 24, 3:09 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBoone, Buena Vista, Calhoun, Carroll, Cerro Gordo, Cherokee and 12 more96 min
Jun 24, 11:43 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Mills, Montgomery and 3 more2 hr
Jun 24, 2:15 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCCherokee, Lyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux8 hr
Jun 24, 3:56 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdair, Adams, Audubon, Cass, Fremont, Guthrie and 6 more64 min
Jun 24, 5:25 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCAdair, Audubon, Boone, Buena Vista, Butler, Calhoun and 30 more5 hr
Jun 24, 5:59 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCLyon, O'Brien, Osceola, Plymouth, Sioux61 min
Jun 23, 8:17 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAdams, Antelope, Boone, Buffalo, Butler, Clay and 37 more58 min
Jun 23, 8:20 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCAdams, Buffalo, Clay, Fillmore, Franklin, Furnas and 11 more3 hr
Jun 23, 8:34 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCCheyenne, Deuel, Kimball86 min
Jun 23, 9:10 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCBanner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Deuel, Garden, Kimball and 3 more4 hr
Jun 23, 10:50 PM CDTTornado WatchSPCArthur, Blaine, Chase, Custer, Dawson, Frontier and 10 more5 hr
Jun 23, 11:08 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBanner, Box Butte, Cheyenne, Garden, Grant, Kimball and 3 more67 min
Jun 24, 12:50 AM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCBanner, Cheyenne, Deuel, Garden, Kimball, Morrill and 1 more3 hr
Jun 24, 1:29 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCAntelope, Blaine, Boone, Boyd, Brown, Buffalo and 22 more3 hr
Jun 24, 3:47 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCChase, Dundy, Hayes, Hitchcock88 min
Jun 24, 3:55 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCChase, Dawson, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper and 3 more6 hr
Jun 24, 6:30 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBuffalo, Dawson, Dundy, Frontier, Furnas, Gosper and 7 more2 hr
Jun 24, 1:21 AM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeadle, Brookings, Buffalo, Clark, Codington, Day and 11 more114 min
Jun 24, 4:20 PM CDTSevere Thunderstorm WatchSPCDeuel, Grant, Roberts6 hr
Jun 24, 6:28 PM CDTMesoscale DiscussionSPCBeadle, Brown, Buffalo, Campbell, Clark, Day and 18 more92 min

Nearby

Tornado Watches in Nebraska, 2003Tornado Watches in Iowa, 2003Tornado Watches in South Dakota, 2003Every tornado watch in 2003

Sources

The product and its follow-ups from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service and Storm Prediction Center text; the sounding from the Mesonet's radiosonde archive; radar from the NEXRAD Level II archive.